A thermometer for measuring body temperature is formed from a fragile glass tube with a narrow internal passage. One end of the glass tube is closed and the other end is in communication with a bulb containing mercury. The glass tube is calibrated to measure the amount of thermal expansion of the mercury as a function of temperature.
Storage of the thermometer often is troublesome because of the fragile nature of the glass tube. The thermometer may be stored in a supported stand, in a cylindrical container formed from a material that is less fragile than the thermometer itself, or merely in an isolated location where the thermometer is not likely to be damaged.
Thermometers used to measure body temperature are generally designated as clinical thermometers. Glass clinical thermometers are precision instruments which must be produced and tested to rigid standards (e.g. ASTM E667-81). A design feature of a glass clinical thermometer is a constriction in the bore located between the bulb and the lowest graduation. The purpose of the constriction is to retain the mercury column at the highest level recorded, permitting the operator to read accurately the correct temperature recorded.
Without this feature, the mercury column would retreat into the bulb in response to lower temperatures and this could affect the accuracy of the reading. This design feature, while necessary, creates a problem for the operator inasmuch as the mercury must be forcibly "shaken down" into the bulb reservoir prior to the next use of the thermometer. Typically this is accomplished by holding the thermometer at the end opposite to the bulb and shaking the thermometer vigorously with a downward force. This causes the mercury column to at least partially withdraw into the bulb.
Many individuals, professionals and lay personnel alike, have tremendous difficulty shaking the clinical thermometer with sufficient force to cause the mercury to withdraw into the bulb. In general, people elect to measure their own temperature only when they are not feeling well, and it is during these periods of ill health that an individual would feel least like vigorously snapping their wrist to shake-down a thermometer. This vigorous shaking often is very painful for elderly people or for people afflicted with arthritis or a similar ailment in their wrist, elbow or shoulder. Women often experience more difficulty then men in exerting the force needed to shake down a clinical thermometer by traditional methods. However, women (e.g. mothers or nurses) often are called upon to perform this task
In response to the problems associated with the difficult to shake-down standard clinical thermometer, hospitals and some doctors have begun using electrical temperature probes. Although these devices do not require a manual shake-down after each use, they are far too expensive for most households and many doctors offices. Furthermore they are no more accurate than glass thermometers, and just as vulnerable to damage.
In view of the above, it is an object of the subject invention to provide an apparatus to enable the safe storage of a glass clinical thermometer and to facilitate the shaking down of the mercury therein.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide an apparatus for storing and shaking down a glass clinical thermometer that can be manufactured easily and at a low cost.
It is an additional object of the subject invention to provide an apparatus for storing and shaking down a thermometer that can readily be carried and manipulated by the user.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide an apparatus for storing and shaking down a thermometer which does not require violent snapping of the wrist to lower the mercury level in the thermometer.